Antec Debuts Its First Liquid Cooling System

By Kevin Parrish
published

Antec's KÜHLER H2O 620 LCS will be available by the end of the month.

Thursday Antec Inc announced its very first liquid cooling system for CPUs, the Antec KÜHLER H2O 620. The product is the result of a partnership with Asetek and promises easy installation, zero maintenance and up to 20-percent greater performance under full load than stock CPU coolers. It's also the result of feedback based on a survey offered to customers last year.

"The KÜHLER H2O 620 features Asetek's low-profile pump for exceptional liquid circulation while preserving internal airflow, and easy-bend tubes for maximum flexibility in radiator positioning," the company describes in a press release. "Additionally, the KÜHLER H2O 620 utilizes liquid temperature controlled fans to deliver Antec's renowned Quiet Computing technology for quiet, efficient performance and uses the latest generation copper cold plate for optimal conduction."

According to Antec's Dennis Pang in a blog dated Thursday, the company tested the new cooler on Intel's Core i7 980x CPU and saw a 20-percent performance increase over the stock Intel cooler. Pang also said the cooler includes kits to mount Intel LGA 775, 1155, 1156 and 1366 as well as AMD AM2, AM3, AM2+ and AM3+.

"The performance advantage doesn’t just apply to the CPU," he said. "Routing all the CPU heat directly out of your chassis means lower overall ambient temperature, which helps out your other components. And the low profile of the pump (just 27 mm) drastically reduces the footprint of your CPU cooler, which greatly increases overall airflow in your chassis."

Pang said the cooler is easy to install. Users simply attach a bracket to the motherboard, mount the pump to the CPU, and attach the radiator and fan to the chassis. For those who've previously mounted an aftermarket air cooler, the only difference is mounting the radiator/fan assembly to an open fan slot.

"Forget about having to purchase coolant and filling/refilling," he said. "Ironically, the beauty of this liquid cooling solution is never having to see the fluid."

The KÜHLER H2O 620 is backed by Antec's Quality 3-year (AQ3) limited warranty on parts and labor and is available at the end of January for an estimated price of $69.95 through major retailers, e-tailers and distributors.

Kevin Parrish
41 Comments Comment from the forums
  • reprotected
    Looks like the Corsair H70, which looks like the Asetek 570LC. I put my bets that it won't cool any better than the Hyper 212+ with dual-fans.
    Reply
  • scook9
    20% better than stock Intel cooler....that has to be the worst asetek cooler I have seen yet then....
    Reply
  • troublez
    I own the H70 and I replaced the hyper 212+ with it. I haven't seen any difference in cooling and in most cases my 212+ has cooled better...
    Reply
  • boiler1990
    reprotectedLooks like the Corsair H70, which looks like the Asetek 570LC. I put my bets that it won't cool any better than the Hyper 212+ with dual-fans.
    Yeah, I was debating the Corsair H50 and the Hyper 212+ (had an extra 120mm fan too). I love the 212+, and it's not even loud.
    Reply
  • elcentral
    my V10 cooler master is quite nice so id has to be quite good for me to switch
    Reply
  • pocketdrummer
    Why did I expect it to be a REAL water-cooling setup when I read the title...
    Reply
  • doyletdude
    Well lets look at the marketing here. They clearly aren't even aiming for enthuasists. But i give them props because they aren't lying to themselves about it either. They flat out say its only a 20% increase over stock, and instead of talking about overclocking or faster speeds, they talk about easy installation and how it can fit in tight spaces. So is it super effective? No, but it wasn't aimed for us anyways. At 70$ I assume they are aiming at entry level DIYers or OEM owners who want to improve there cooling headroom. It looks like a solid product to me but no, I wouldn't buy it myself. I need more than 20% LOL.
    Reply
  • razor512
    Don't go for these fake liquid cooling systems,

    Other than saving physical space, they generally offer no benefit compared to a decent aftermarket air cooler, in many cases, they perform worst.

    I tried the corsair one, and it did about the same or worst than my much cheaper sunbeam core contact cooler, only problem with the corsair is that it has a built in pump that can fail and require the entire unit to be replaced, if the fan on my sunbeam cooler fails, $3-4 is all it takes to replace it. I also have plenty space in the case so it doesn't matter if there is a massive cooler in it.

    If you want the benefits of liquid cooling, you need to go for a higher end system where you can use multiple radiators.
    Reply
  • segio526
    These liquid CPU coolers are very underwhelming. They don't appear to provide any advantage on noise, cooling, or price compared to midrange/highend heatpipe coolers. I'm guessing the limitation is the amount of liquid in the system. Perhaps a reservoir that sits in a 5.25" bay or two would finally give these systems the cooling advantage, noise advantage, or both?
    Reply
  • rpmrush
    The biggest problem with real liquid cooling systems..240 and 360 radiators..is that to maintain a great OC you have to crank the fans up and they are loud. They perform fantastic, but not quiet. These all-in-ones perform midpack compared to big air and are mid pack on noise as well. They really don't have an appeal. A Noctua NH-D14 is super quiet when cranked all the way up and cools better by far than any all-in-one water cooler.
    Reply